


new beginnings

by jusdefraise



Category: EXO (Band), Z.Tao (Musician)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Love Confessions, M/M, baek is gay for zitao, so much gay, zitao is gay for baek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-28
Updated: 2019-05-28
Packaged: 2020-03-26 09:47:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19003300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jusdefraise/pseuds/jusdefraise
Summary: Zitao might have just scored a summer boyfriend. A really smart, hot one at that.





	new beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> hello all
> 
> ive missed taobaek very much as of late and i was appalled at the lack of fics so i decided to churn this out. this is based off of american graduations and it is set in america bc i am american and uncultured and dont know how other countries' grads work. except colombia bc my cousins told me but idk how to feel setting this in colombia sfjshfsf  
> okay im done rambling. this is self betad, pls ignore mistakes. i am but a small human w a small brain. 
> 
> pls enjoy!

Zitao takes a deep breath and counts to three before getting out of his car and walking into the school, cap and gown draped over his arm and cords around his neck so he doesn’t lose them. As he walks to the cafeteria, he gazes at the walls of the school, realizing this is his last time walking through the halls as a student. It’s bittersweet and he smiles at the staff who congratulate him and pat him on the back.

He walks into the hectic cafeteria, weaving between students scrambling to put their attire on while finding their friends, and quickly spots his best friends struggling to adjust their attire.

“Zitao!” Jongin yells, grinning from ear to ear and semi-wincing when Jongdae yanks down on his cap just a little too hard. Junmyeon and Minseok are fanning themselves with their caps, Minseok giving Zitao’s cheek a little pinch when he walks up. “Looking sharp. Who are you trying to impress?”

“Nobody, dipshit,” Zitao says, rolling his eyes and starting to put on his gown. “My grandparents flew in from China for this. If my grandma saw me in anything less than a tie, she’d probably strangle me with my cords.”

The five of them help each other get dressed and adjust cords and medals so they’re sitting nicely around their necks. Junmyeon insists on a picture, asking a teacher to take one of the five of them. “It’s not everyday you graduate high school,” he says with a smile. “Most certainly not everyday when you manage to graduate in the top 15 percent.” They all pose, rosy cheeked and high on pride, smiling like they’ve won the lottery.

On his way to his seat, Zitao bumps into Baekhyun Byun, aka valedictorian of his class and the apple of Zitao’s gay eye since day one of advanced biology in freshman year. “Hey! Looking nice, Tao,” Baekhyun says, giving him a sparkly grin. Zitao positively melts. “What’s this cord for? I don’t recognize the pattern.” He grabs the triple cord, running his fingers over the red, gold and purple threads. 

“Chinese national honor society,” Zitao says, his ears turning red. “I was the president this year.” Baekhyun looks back at him, absolutely beaming. “Wow! Congratulations! That’s really cool, Tao. And you did that while being in dance and the Red Cross?” He points at the other cords hanging around Zitao’s neck. “You’re really something.”

“Look who’s talking, Zitao says, looking down at the multitude of cords, medals and collars around Baekhyun’s neck. He notices one of the medals are for the English honor society and Zitao curses himself for not going to meetings and getting booted from the club. “Your shoulders are gonna hurt later.”

Baekhyun just laughs and shimmies a little so everything jingles and swishes around. “I think I’ll be fine.” He glances over to his table and turns back to Zitao with an apologetic smile. “I have to go to my seat. Val duties await,” he rolls his eyes as if it’s a burden, but there’s a hint of a smile on his lips. “I’ll catch you later!”

Zitao waves at him and goes to his seat, touching his cheeks and hoping they aren’t too red. The looks he gets from the people sitting around him say otherwise.

Once all the students arrive, the class is loaded onto buses and to the stadium where the graduation will be held. The entire ride there, Zitao’s stomach is filled with butterflies and he fidgets with his cap and gown to distract him from his nerves.

High school isn’t the pinnacle of his life, Zitao knows that, but it’s all he knows at 18 years old. He’s proud of his grades and his achievements in his extracurriculars. Sure, he didn’t get into any Ivy League schools or super high ranked ones, but he got into multiple colleges, one of them being pretty well ranked for the major he wants, and he’s proud of himself for making it this far.

Once they arrive, the students load off the buses and they walk into the stadium, everyone more focused on not tripping and falling than the fact that they’ve (finally) finished high school.

Zitao catches the eyes of a few friends, waving and smiling at them and getting a little sad when he realizes he won’t see them anymore. If he gets a little misty eyed, no one has to know.

They proceed into the stadium (after what feels like forever just standing around and waiting), seats filled with supportive family and friends, and they sit down to listen to opening speeches. Zitao only really half listens until Baekhyun goes up to the podium to deliver his valedictorian speech. 

Zitao is absolutely enraptured. Baekhyun is so smart and a great public speaker, making everyone laugh with a joke here and there or tear up when mentioning moving away from home. He mentions all the great friends he’s made at the school, and a little part of Zitao hopes that he’s part of those friends. Baekhyun closes with their school motto and Zitao claps just a little bit too hard.

Walking across the stage was a blur. Baekhyun walks across first, the entire class whooping and cheering for him. Zitao laughs at the amount of noise and thinks that Baekhyun is really loved by everyone. Not because of his brain but because of his heart. 

Many names were called after that, about 100 students being called before Zitao makes it to his turn. The presenter butchers his name a little, but Zitao just smiles to himself before walking, trying not to laugh when he hears his friends hollering and cheering for him. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Baekhyun cheering for him from his place in the front row and he prays that his face doesn’t come out red in any pictures. 

A few minutes later, his best friends walk out. Jongdae, Jongin, Junmyeon and Minseok walk out, one after the other, and Zitao cheers so loud, the kids in front of him turn around to stare at him. He merely makes a face and they turn around, intimidated by his look and Zitao just shakes his head.

They close graduation with the school song, something Zitao never bothered to learn and he kind of regrets it, and soon they’re ushered out of the stadium and left to go find their families.

All four of the Kim families and Zitao’s family are standing together when the five of them exit the building and the boys are immediately pulled into hugs and there are lots of sloppy kisses on cheeks. Zitao bends to press a kiss to his grandfather’s forehead and his grandpa smiles up at him from his wheelchair. 

“Proud of you,” he says and Zitao nearly cries, letting out a watery laugh when his grandma fusses with his cords and gown to hide her own tears. 

They take about a billion pictures and Zitao is sweaty and his cheeks hurt by the time they decide they should leave to go eat. He walking with an arm around his dad’s shoulders when he hears his name called out to him.

Baekhyun is jogging up to him and his forehead his glistening with sweat under his cap and his gown is unzipped to show a slightly wrinkled shirt and loosened tie and Zitao thinks he looks so _pretty_.

“I’m glad I caught you before you left,” Baekhyun says, sounding a little winded. “I wanted to take pictures together. You know, memories and stuff.”

Zitao quickly agrees, letting his mom take pictures of the two of them and he tries to ignore the heat of Baekhyun’s arm wrapped around his waist. He sees his friends’ knowing looks over his mom’s shoulder and nearly yells at them when they start to talk to his dad. When the look of realization dawns on his face and he starts to grin a little, Zitao knows he’s screwed.

Zitao takes his phone and scrolls through the pictures and he swears he doesn’t flinch when Baekhyun hooks his chin on his shoulder to look as well. He promises to send them to him and Baekhyun grins and says a very bright “thank you!” that sends Zitao’s heart into a flip flop.

“So, Zitao,” Baekhyun starts quietly. Zitao’s eyes widen a little bit. Baekhyun’s always called him Tao, so the use of his full name starles him a little bit. “What are your plans this summer?”

“Umm,” Zitao says. “I have orientation for my university in two weeks, but other than that, I’m just working.” He gestures over to his friends. “Might do something with those losers before Jongdae moves. But that’s really it.”

Baekhyun nods and hesitates only slightly before blurting out, “Will you go on a date with me?”

Zitao’s jaw drops and he faintly hears a “holy shit!” from Jongin (and the smack from his mother that follows) before he says, intelligently, “Huh?”

“I’ve had a pretty big crush on you since last year,” Baekhyun says, starting to turn a little pink in the face. “I used to help the English teachers grade essays as part of my honor society hours and I read one of yours and you… You’re really smart and really hot and I want to take you out?” At this point, Baekhyun’s cheeks are a bright red and he’s nowhere near the confident man delivering speeches from two hours ago. 

“Um,” Zitao says, feeling his ears heat up. “I would love to.” He clears his throat and glances at his feet. “I’ve actually liked you since freshman year.”

“Really?!” Baekhyun squeaks. He’s staring at Zitao with wide eyes and he’s reaching for Zitao’s hand. His palm is a little sweaty but so is Zitao’s. “Um. Okay. Okay, so I’ll text you details?”

Zitao gives his hand a squeeze and he nods, once, twice before letting go and gesturing to his family. “I gotta go,” he says, biting his lip. “I’ll send you the pictures. And text you about… about our date.”

Baekhyun grins, nose scrunched up cutely and he says a soft, “okay” before waving at Zitao’s family and walking towards his own. 

Zitao turns to his family and ignores the faces his family make at him. He yelps when his grandma pinches his side and says, “He’s cute. And smart. Good job.” It takes everything in him not to scream.

Later that night, when he’s tucked into bed, he scrolls through Instagram and stops on Baekhyun’s post, swiping through the pictures. The last picture is a candid of the two of them. They’re mid laugh and their arms are a little blurry, but it’s a good picture. The caption reads “To new beginnings!”

Zitao falls asleep with a smile on his face and a date to look forward to.

**Author's Note:**

> uve made it to the end!!!! im very proud of u!!
> 
> like our precious main characters, i have graduated high school wooooooo! and graduated w honors babeyyyy cant believe my monkey brain was capable of such things lol.
> 
> i wrote this abt two days after my graduation (five days after this fic will have been posted) and its largely, if not entirely based on my experience from grad. its kinda weird that i dont have anything to do now except panic abt college but hopefully that means i can write more!
> 
> thank u so much for reading. pls leave me some kudos or a comment, it makes my babie heart sing. 
> 
> follow me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/yibosbbh) or leave me smth in my [cc](https://curiouscat.me/fraisebbh)!!


End file.
